Zack's Choices
by jessara40k
Summary: How Zack and Cloud's relationships with Sephiroth evolved prior to Nibelheim. Prequel to Chosen. Warning ukeSephiroth.


So, you're the one who scored highest in the last set of exams?

"Congratulations - or should that be commiserations? As your prize you get stuck as the General's aide for the next six months. And by then you'll be fucking grateful to get away from him.

"He'll assume you don't know anything, and he'll be willing to train you for the first month, but after that he'll expect you to read his mind. And by the way, you get stuck playing training dummy for him. No one's stupid enough to volunteer to spar with him, so it's just you and troublemakers."

wWw

Zack knew he was gaping, but he couldn't help it. He'd heard about the General, seen pictures so he knew Sephiroth was beautiful, but nothing compared to his sheer _presence_. And...he looked annoyed.

"Lieutenant Zack. How much did Lieutenant Barnaby explain about your duties as my aide?"

"Not much sir. He said I was supposed to spar with you, but he didn't explain much else."

"Yes, 0600 I expect you to meet me in gym 5 unless I tell you otherwise. We'll be sparring until 0730 and I expect you here to start work at 0900. I don't care when you do your PT as long as you keep it up. Do you at least have a userID and password for the network?"

"Yes sir. Lieutenant Barnaby set me up with that, and he showed me how to access your schedule and my e-mail. But sir, I don't understand some of the symbols against most of the meetings, and there isn't a key for some of them." Better to be honest about problems and take advantage of the month's leeway he'd been told he'd get.

"No, I can't risk a key. Show me." Sephiroth leaned over to watch the screen over Zack's shoulder. "A triangle means I want to be interrupted at the given point into the meeting. Come up with some excuse. A square means I can't be interrupted until the given point. The colour says whether the number in binary down here means minutes or hours. Green for minutes, blue for hours."

wWw

Shit, Sephiroth had that blank look on his face again, the one that meant Zack was confusing the hell out of him. Just because Zack'd casually touched his arm. He'd thought the General was cold when he didn't respond at all to the flirting Zack did automatically, but it looked like he simply didn't understand it.

And he didn't _touch_ people, not at all. _No one_ avoided contact the way he did without some reason, and it was usually bad news.

That was _it_. Zack was going to teach Sephiroth what friendship was, and why touch was good if it killed him.

wWw

It had taken him a week to figure out that the General had no idea what friendship was, or of why touch could be good, and just another week to realise he couldn't make friends with Sephiroth the way he had with other people. So he set himself to finding out everything he could about his superior officer.

Gym 5 was the one SOLDIERs 1st used most, and the only one Sephiroth used, the lowest settings in the equipment room attached to it were on the edge of Zack's ability to use, and the top three settings needed Sephiroth's ID number to access, according to the guy who cleaned the place up. The machines were the only ones computer controlled for that reason, and, again according the cleaner, the General pulled all-nighters in the gym every two to three months, then he used the changing facilities afterwards.

Zack managed to hack into the gym computer system and arrange to be notified by e-mail when Sephiroth used his ID to change the settings on the machines, and he started checking his e-mail every morning before he left to spar with the General. Then Zack began using the changing rooms on a semi-regular basis.

wWw

It was frustrating sometimes, how easily Sephiroth beat him when they were sparring. He knew better than to think he was anywhere near the General's equal, but he spent at least two hours exercising _before_ they started sparring, shouldn't he show _some_ signs of that, at least _sweat_?

On the other hand Zack was getting better at a rate he couldn't quite believe, and today Sephiroth looked as worn out by the end of their sparring session as Zack was, because he'd been exercising all night, but Zack would take what he could get.

"Enough for now." Sephiroth turned and picked up his gym bag, and Zack did the same before calling out to him as he started walking to the changing rooms.

"Scrub your back for you? Or I could give you a massage, I'm good at that." Sephiroth looked back at him, surprise in his eyes, surprise, and perhaps a hint of fear, but he seemed to brace himself, and nodded.

"Very well."

Sephiroth lay face down on the massage bench, glancing over his shoulder at Zack with a fear-edged challenge in his eyes. Zack swallowed and pulled the massage oil he hadn't really expected to use out of his bag then began working on Sephiroth's back, seeking out the aches and tensions, and soothing them as best he could.

He didn't do very well, but well enough that when Sephiroth rose from the bench there was a hint of something like trust in his eyes, and a tentative offer to return the favour.

wWw

"What the hell's this about Sephiroth?" Zack threw the message he'd found on his desk this morning in front of his friend angrily.

"It's been six months Zack. That means my next aide's been assigned, so you don't have to keep on pretending to be my friend, and you've more than earned your promotion to 2nd class and your transfer to a combat unit." Sephiroth really thought that? The pain in his eyes said that yes, he did.

"Screw that. I don't _want_ a transfer to a combat unit. And it's not cowardice, the missions you drag me along on are far more dangerous than anything I'd face with a combat unit, if only because there's just the two of us. I want to keep on working with you. I _like_ you, and I don't want you to go back to closing yourself off from everyone like that. Your 'next aide' won't have the patience to get through that defensive shell of yours." He paused, then reached to rest his hand on Sephiroth's forearm. "What made you think I was just pretending to be your friend?"

"I..." He glanced down, looking a bit uncomfortable, and Zack repressed the desire to take back his question, he was pretty sure this had to come out for them to stay friends. "Basically the ShinRa execs all advised me to give you whatever it was you wanted from me before I forgot that you couldn't _really_ care about a monster like me." His hand tightened on Sephiroth's forearm involuntarily, but Sephiroth didn't say anything.

"You are _not_ a monster. You are a man, a very beautiful, powerful man, but still, a _man_. And if you're supposed to give me what I want...I want to stay as your aide and keep working with you." He could see the relief Sephiroth felt at that, and _knew_ something had been forcing him to try and promote Zack away from him, something that had stopped working now.

"Thank you. You do deserve to be promoted to 2nd class, but...I need an aide, transferring you while you were being promoted seemed the best option."

"Aren't you entitled to more than one aide?" Heidegger and Palmer each had half a dozen or more, even _Veld_ had two, although they were more secretaries than true aides.

"Yes, it was just...until you _all_ of my aides were requesting transfers away from me inside two months. It will mean putting back your promotion to 2nd class by three months."

"I'm only fifteen after all." Only just three months past his birthday, Zack smiled broadly at Sephiroth.

"And six months is the _minimum_ 'recovery' period for safety." The General returned a faint smile. "Cut the orders and I'll inspect them."

wWw

"Sir, if you don't mind the scientists have cleared me for sparring, and I figured it'd be better to spar against someone much better than me instead of equally new SOLDIERs 2nd class." Zack had been lucky when he first became a SOLDIER, his mentor, Angeal, had decided to work with him when he was to the point of needing to spar to adjust to his enhancements.

Lieutenant Yanos, the SOLDIER 3rd he'd spent three months training, looked relieved to see Zack volunteering to spar with the General in his place. He backed away from Sephiroth as quickly as he could, probably hoping to get out of the gym without the General noticing while _Sephiroth_ looked at Zack with a frown.

"Are you certain you want to spar with me Zack?"

"Yeah. I can't think of anyone who could deal with me losing control better, can you?" Sephiroth responded very well to logic, less well to other types of argument, but... "And besides you look even more beautiful then usual when you're sparring."

Shock was written across his face, so subtly that Zack didn't think anyone would notice, but he'd been studying his superior for nine months now. It would be the little things that got to him, if Zack kept on telling Sephiroth how beautiful he was surely he'd get the idea that Zack was interested in him?

"Very well, if you wish to spar with me you make a better opponent than Lieutenant Yanos." He'd dismissed Zack's words _again_, what would make him believe them?

Perhaps Zack should make the first move, he'd managed to stop Sephiroth freezing at a casual touch by simple repetition, like training a chocobo. So, he needed to make a move, _tell_ Sephiroth that he wanted him, _and_ convince him it wasn't some sort of joke.

wWw

Zack didn't think he'd have a better chance to make a move than now; he'd talked Sephiroth to come out for a drink with him, and he'd arranged for a private booth so he'd be a bit more relaxed. Sephiroth had enjoyed the two drinks he'd had here and he'd responded well to the careful advances Zack was making too, he even seemed to be flirting back at Zack. It was oddly...submissive; indirect glances, a faint huskiness in his lowered voice and a tendency to lean into Zack's touches for a moment instead of the direct appraising looks, flirtatious, confident comments and returned touches he was used to from men and women; but it _was_ flirting.

"Sephiroth, I think I might love you, at least a little bit, and I'm going to kiss you now. Is that okay?" Considering how hard it had been to get Sephiroth to relax around him Zack thought it was best to give him a warning.

"Yes." Sephiroth finally met his eyes, surprise and a look of near adoration filling them. Zack leaned in, taking control with a hand at the nape of Sephiroth's neck, and kissed him, waiting patiently for Sephiroth to get the hint as he ran his tongue over Sephiroth's lips. He opened his mouth quickly enough and he lifted his arms to wrap them around Zack's shoulders very lightly, but other than that he stayed disturbingly passive under Zack's attention.

Finally Zack couldn't take it anymore and pulled back, ignoring the confusion mixed with the trust in Sephiroth's eyes.

"What's wrong Sephiroth? If you don't want this-"

"I do." Sephiroth interrupted, something like fear in his voice. "I just don't know what you want me to do."

"Respond to me, don't just passively submit to my advances. Make me believe that you'll _stop_ me if I go too fast for you or something."

"I'll try." That was almost enough for Zack, and he started kissing Sephiroth again, this time letting his hands wander over his body, and trying to slide one hand into Sephiroth's pants almost as a test. Sephiroth's hand intercepted his, resting lightly on his wrist, a faint trembling apparent. "Please, not here. And...you're only fifteen, are you sure you're ready?"

"More than you are. I've had a lover, you're a virgin, aren't you?"

"Does that disappoint you?"

"No, of course not." And then Zack kissed Sephiroth again, determined to limit himself to making out this time.

wWw

Zack had half expected it to take him until his sixteenth birthday to convince Sephiroth to actually consummate their relationship, but there couldn't be any other reason for him to find an excuse for them to be alone in his quarters. They'd managed to find places to exchange hand jobs and the occasional blow job without being observed in the more public areas...even if Zack _had_ been the one to initiate just about everything.

"So, you're ready to go further now?" He knew by now that Sephiroth would never say anything about what he wanted, he seemed to be too shy and inexperienced to do that still, odd as it was to think of the General like that.

"If you still want me."

"How could anyone not?" He knew Sephiroth thought he was a monster, even if he couldn't figure out why, so Zack began lavishing attention on the other man, kissing him breathless, and stripping him, slowly, caressing Sephiroth's pale skin as he exposed it.

"Do you have anything to make this easier?" He hadn't been expecting this, so he didn't have any lube with him, and he wasn't going to hurt Sephiroth, since he didn't think the General wanted to top.

"Easier?"

"Something slippery, lotion or oil would work best." Real lubricant would have been better, but...

"There's some massage oil on the table." Sephiroth obviously still didn't understand, Zack didn't get why, but he'd enjoy showing Sephiroth everything he could.

wWw

Zack pulled out of Sephiroth slowly, feeling almost reluctant to separate from him, but he knew that it would hurt if he didn't pull out now. But Sephiroth's reaction was shocking; he actually _whimpered_ ever so faintly and twisted to grab Zack's arms at first, then froze and released him.

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Sephiroth began to run his hands very gently, but swiftly along Zack's arms, eyes focusing on the skin where he'd grabbed them.

"I'm fine, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you didn't hurt me, I promise." Zack lifted his hand to Sephiroth's cheek, and leaned forward to kiss him lightly. "What did I do to upset you?"

"I...you were _leaving_." Did Sephiroth think he was using him or something?

"I couldn't stay inside you, if I had it would have hurt when I pulled out. Do you want me to stay here tonight? To sleep here with you?"

"Please."

"Then I will, for as long as you want." Zack kissed Sephiroth again, longer, deeper this time, and settled down to sleep beside him.

wWw

Zack glanced at his watch in surprise, the blond cadet had been practising those same two moves for _three hours_ ever since he'd been in the gym last. And by now the moves were getting worse with fatigue.

"I think you've done enough practice for one day kid."

He spun, sword clutched in both trembling hands.

"Go to hell." The kid paused for a deliberate moment and Zack could almost _hear_ him deciding whether or not to say anything else. "Sir. I'm staying here until I get this right." It looked like the kid could out-stubborn _Sephiroth_, and he had guts too, to snarl at a SOLDIER 1st like that. There was only one thing Zack could do.

"Then let me help you _get_ it right Spike." Zack corrected his stance and adjusted his balance until he finally got both of the moves right. "Well done Spike."

"My name's Cloud." Was the cadet's parting shot.

wWw

Zack had shamelessly taken advantage of his rank to arrange for Cloud to join them in gym 5 at six in the morning, and made sure Sephiroth's _other_ aide would be there too. He'd only been assigned away from Sephiroth _once_, for the six months after he'd been promoted to 1st class he'd been assigned to teaching the cadets, and then he'd been assigned back to work with Sephiroth, since the aide who'd 'replaced' Zack had apparently been overwhelmed. But it had given him experience he planned to put to good use in helping Cloud the kid deserved it for being so fucking stubborn.

"Ss-sir?" Cloud sounded nervous, Sephiroth looked surprised, and Lieutenant Joshua had a look of contempt on his face when he looked at Cloud.

"Who's the kid?"

"Practice for you. I checked, they usually assign Sephiroth's aides to teaching for six months, so you're going to spar with Cloud here, and teach him to fight better." Cloud seemed to settle down a bit to hear that.

"And why have him report _here_ and now?" Sephiroth sounded distantly amused, but not annoyed, and he wasn't making Cloud even more nervous at any rate.

"I was kind of hoping you'd be willing to keep an eye on them while we're sparring." Zack grinned at Sephiroth, teasingly. "Figured it might give me a chance to hold my own better against you."

Sephiroth shrugged, a faint smile on his face. "Very well. It might make for more of a challenge anyway."

wWw

Zack hid a smirk as Sephiroth analysed Cloud's performance in explicit detail; apparently Joshua's obvious reluctance to teach had combined with Cloud's equally obvious determination to learn, even from someone who denigrated him to engage Sephiroth's interest. They'd finished sparring twenty minutes early so that Sephiroth could explain precisely what problems Cloud needed to correct, and where he needed to improve, and Cloud was hanging on every word, clearly grateful for every single criticism.

"Thank you sir. I'll try to remember all of that." Sephiroth actually looked impressed by Cloud's response after he'd finished analysing his performance, _far_ more than by his skill with his sword.

"You are welcome. And what precisely are you smiling about Joshua? Your performance was quite frankly abysmal. I'd expect a performance like _that_ from an unenhanced trooper, not any sort of SOLDIER." Cloud looked astonished as Sephiroth turned a scathing critique on Joshua, flaying him verbally without _ever_ raising his voice, and overriding his protest that he was trying to work on Cloud's level.

"You will train with Cloud at this time every day until I am satisfied that you are capable of teaching him rather than merely using him as a mobile training dummy. That is if you are willing Cadet?"

"Y-yes sir!" Joshua was furious that Sephiroth had asked Cloud, but ordered him, and it showed, so Zack would make a point of warning him against taking his anger out on the kid.

wWw

"...cold unfeeling bastard." Zack wasn't sure why the voice he could hear through the wall had drawn his attention, there were any number of people in ShinRa it could be describing, but...

"He is _not_." Cloud's voice was almost calm. "Cold unfeeling bastards don't take half an hour from their own training to critique a _cadet's_ performance as a favour for a friend."

"What cadet? _You_? Who'd you spread your legs for to deserve that? The General, or his 'friend'?"

"The General doesn't _do_ that sort of thing. Just because neither of you are willing to work hard enough to catch a superior's eye-oof." Cloud's scornful voice was cut off as one of the others hit him and Zack hurried over to the door so he could break the fight up - Cloud was small, _and_ outnumbered.

"Hey! Break it up." Zack waited for them to obey, then turned to Cloud. "What happened here?"

"Just a difference of opinion, sir."

"Riiight." He drew the word out, making it clear he didn't believe Cloud for a second, but he'd let it go since Cloud didn't seem to want to make a fuss. "If you want to fight go to the gym. And stick to one on one, no ganging up. Get out of my sight." The two bullies fled, but Cloud seemed to know better. "Want to tell me the truth about what happened now?"

"Sir...I _know_ what sort of senses you have. You have to have heard at least some of what happened." He'd reacted more to the slight against Sephiroth and Zack than the slight against himself, that bugged Zack, but Cloud wasn't going to say anything else, so he let it lie. He _would_ tell Sephiroth what happened though, and he'd find out who those cadets were.

wWw

"I wouldn't have stopped early that first time if I didn't think splitting my attention the way you suggested had improved the quality of my training to compensate - more than compensate - for the lost time." Sephiroth's reaction to Zack's tale of the fight he'd overheard wasn't _that_ surprising.

"Because it's more like real combat, where you've got the duty to try and keep your men from getting killed by their own incompetence too often, and so you need to pay attention to their fights as well, in case they lose so you'll be aware of any new enemies?" Zack was guessing from his own, limited, experience, but from Sephiroth's expression he'd guessed right.

"I assume you've found out who the cadets trying to bully your friend were? Give me the names and I'll make sure they don't get into SOLDIER; anyone who would assume I'd indulge in favouritism would be happy to follow the practice themselves, and I won't have that."

"Sure." Zack was relieved, but he had to make certain he understood. "So you didn't agree to critique Cloud because I brought him to your attention?"

"I'd have done the same if Lieutenant Joshua had brought a cadet _he_ wanted to train with. And you decided to help Cloud on his own merit, didn't you?"

"Yeah. It was chance I spotted him and realised how long he'd been training for, then when I realised how hard he was willing to work..." Zack shrugged, letting Sephiroth draw his own conclusions.

wWw

"Sephiroth..." Zack played with Sephiroth's hair as he spoke, "if we weren't together who would you like to fuck?" It was a game he'd played with his last - and first - lover, talking about who they found attractive, he didn't expect the way Sephiroth's head snapped up from his chest, wide green eyes staring at him almost in panic.

"Are you saying I don't please you?"

"No, of course not. Fuck, you're like a walking wet dream, most of the army thinks they're in love with you, how could you _not_ please me. I'm just saying, it's normal to think about other people sometimes. I wanted to know who you thought about - besides me. I'd like to find out if Angeal really is as big as he looks, and I'd love to know what we look like when we're together."

"I think I could find a video camera if you wanted to try and film us together." Sephiroth had laid his head back down on Zack's chest in what seemed to be his favourite position, over Zack's heart. "And...if you...wanted other people...as long as you...stayed with me..."

And he _meant_ that.

"Sephiroth, I don't do the girly shit that often, but I do love you. All this talking about who else I'd like to fuck, it's just lust. C'mon, are you sure there's no one else you'd like to sleep with, just for fun? I mean there's that redheaded Turk, Reno, he'd be fun, and Tseng's hot too. Not as hot as you but still hot." Sephiroth was _blushing_ at that. "More my type than yours though I guess. Reno might be more your speed. Or perhaps Dyne. Then again maybe..."

"That blond cadet you drag around so often, you might enjoy seeing us together." There was more than a hint of panic in Sephiroth's voice, but Zack stopped suggesting other people, satisfied that Sephiroth understood that _thinking_ about someone else wasn't a betrayal. He'd never thought of the kid sexually before, but...

"I guess he is cute now that you mention it, but more my type than yours, I'd think." And he was only fourteen as well.

wWw

"Would you like to buy a flower sir? Only one gil." Zack turned at the sweet voice calling out from the side of the road. Even if the woman _wasn't_ talking to him he wanted to see the face that went with the voice, _and_ get some flowers if they were any good.

When he caught sight of the woman she'd just turned around, whipping the long brown braid out, poised to take flight despite the basket on her arm.

"Hey, wait! I just want to buy some flowers." She turned around, but from the way she held herself Zack knew she'd run at the slightest provocation.

"The flowers only cost one gil each." Zack wasn't really concentrating on what she was saying, he was too entranced by her eyes, greener even than Sephiroth's, and by the beauty of the lilies she was selling.

"Give me...ten then." Since he didn't have anything smaller on him. "I'm Zack, can you tell me your name?"

"You don't...I'm Aeris." She gave him his flowers at the same time as her name, even if Zack didn't have a clue what he'd do with them.

"Well Aeris, where could I find you again?"

"I usually sell my flowers in this street between two and three on Thursdays." She was being cautious, even if Zack wasn't sure why, but he'd play along.

wWw

Zack was having a hard time getting into this, he was worried about Cloud, but it was so rare for Sephiroth to initiate things he'd feel guilty if he tried to put him off. But Sephiroth seemed to sense his reluctance and pulled back himself.

"What's wrong Zack? Is this a bad time?"

"A bit. I'm worried about Spike."

"The blond with hair like yours? Didn't he get into SOLDIER? He can't have failed the physical, if it was a problem with the written he can stay in the program and try again next time." The list of new SOLDIERs hadn't been released yet, so of course Sephiroth didn't know.

"He's in the infirmary. He had a _really_ bad reaction to the Mako test injection. It's going to kill him that he can't be a SOLDIER, and I don't think he'll be treated right in the regulars."

"I'll ask for him to be assigned to me as a liaison with the regulars then; at least he's got past stammering and blushing when he talks to me."

"Thanks Sephiroth." He hugged the General, and when Sephiroth took that as his cue to try for more intimacies he co-operated totally.

wWw

"I..._thank you_ sir." Zack had made sure that Sephiroth would be with him when he told Cloud what arrangements they'd made for him, and Cloud had directed his thanks at the General, even though Zack hadn't specifically said whose idea this was. "There's already been some teasing about me wasting my time with the extra training I've been doing."

"Are they the cadets who were accepted into SOLDIER?" Sephiroth's voice had sharpened, and Zack watched him, wondering what he intended to do.

"No, they're the same people who thought you were helping me because of favouritism."

"Then I can't do any more for you than I've already done. Although I will let it be known that you're the closest an unenhanced human has come to being able to keep up with us." There was a hint of sorrow and of resentment in his voice and Zack pounced on those betraying words.

"Why not? Why can't you do anything but give Cloud a position away from his tormentors?"

"ShinRa doesn't really trust me, so my authority has _very_ strict limitations, and...I've been conditioned so that I have no choice but to obey the orders of my 'superiors'. It's something Hojo started, and something I can't overcome, no matter how much I try. I can work around them sometimes, but I can't disobey."

wWw

It had been a revelation how _aggressive_ Aeris was in bed; even Zack's first lover hadn't demanded equality with him the same way she did, even if he had topped their first few times he'd allowed Zack to set the pace. And the few times he'd taken advantage of Sephiroth's willingness to share him before now it had been pretty boring, one-night stands when he couldn't be with Sephiroth, normal humans all too conscious of the frailty Aeris seemed to ignore.

"That was amazing love. I've never felt like that before." And it wasn't just because she was a woman, it was often a lot easier to get a woman into bed for just a night than a man.

"Not even with this other lover you told me about?"

"I...no." He felt like he was betraying Sephiroth, but it was the truth.

"Then...do you think it would be safe for me to get involved with your lover as well? Knowing that I can't afford to let Hojo capture me again, and being with you is already coming dangerously close to betraying myself to ShinRa."

"No, it wouldn't be safe." Sephiroth was watched far too closely for that.

"I hate to ask this, but...will you stop sleeping with him then? I'm...just not comfortable sharing you with someone I can't be with as well. At least, not someone you sleep with on a regular basis." Zack was shocked at what Aeris was asking, but...he loved her, could see himself making a life with her, and he didn't think he could have that with Sephiroth.

wWw

"Sephiroth? I need to talk to you." Zack _had to_ make Sephiroth understand that he was still his friend, that this wasn't a rejection, he just wasn't sure how.

"What is it Zack?" He didn't look worried; anyone with a normal upbringing would have realised what Zack was going to say, the substance if not the exact wording from what he'd already said.

"Sephiroth, you know I love you, right?"

"I...yes." He nodded looking a bit unhappy as he did.

"But...I'm not _in love_ with you. And, I've found this girl who I am in love with, so...Ican'thavesexwithyouanymore."

"What did I do wrong Zack? Is there anything I can change to make you keep me? I...if you'd prefer me to be secondary, if you don't want to acknowledge me in front of anyone anymore, I can deal with that, just please don't put me out of your life."

"You didn't do anything wrong, and you'll still be part of my life; you're my friend, my best friend, we just can't be lovers anymore." He was pretty sure it was a bad idea, but Zack pulled Sephiroth into his arms, stroking his back. "Look, my girl, the Turks are after her, to take her to Hojo. She says she's already taking enough of a risk being with me, she can't afford to get involved with someone even more high profile with ShinRa. And the only way she'd be comfortable with me having another lover is if she could share you."

"ShinRa will never let me go." Sephiroth pushed away from Zack, clearly reluctant. "I...I understand. _No one_ should have to deal with Hojo."

wWw

Sephiroth was starting to flinch away from his touch at first, almost imperceptibly, and Zack could easily _hate_ himself for doing this to his friend, and even Aeris for asking him to stop sleeping with Sephiroth. He'd never realised just how much he mattered to Sephiroth for the General to make that offer to be 'secondary' and effectively let Zack treat him as his dirty little secret just so they'd still be sleeping together.

And worse, it looked as if almost all the work Zack had been doing to get Sephiroth to open up more had gone to waste; he didn't seem to dare show more than his normal blank mask around Zack now.

But at least he still seemed to relax a bit with Cloud, Zack had spotted him leaning ever so slightly into his touch, and the blond looked like he'd noticed Sephiroth was having problems with Zack and was trying to care for Sephiroth.

wWw

Zack didn't know why Hojo had summoned him, _he_ didn't get as many check ups as Sephiroth did, and Hojo didn't perform his check ups himself, even if he _had_ been due for one.

"You've been sleeping with Sephiroth, haven't you?" He'd waited until Zack was restrained before saying anything, and Zack felt a sudden terror at the almost protective tone in Hojo's voice.

"We're not together anymore." It was the truth, and he had the feeling it was what Hojo wanted to hear.

"So _that's_ why his performance has been deteriorating for the last month." Since the first time Zack had slept with Aeris. "I expect you to either start sleeping with him again, or if you won't then find someone else who _will_. If you don't..." Hojo left the threat unspoken, Zack was all too aware of just how much power the scientist had within ShinRa; he'd used it against Sephiroth often enough. But...he couldn't give Sephiroth what he needed, he'd only broken up with him three days ago, and Sephiroth must have been expecting it if his performance had started suffering a month ago. "You have a week."

wWw

"Do you even notice when someone's all but throwing themselves at you?" Zack made sure the humour in his voice was obvious for Sephiroth to see it, and take his words as friendly teasing, not as an attack of some sort.

"I noticed you didn't I?" There was a hint of 'And look how much that ended up hurting me!' in Sephiroth's voice, but not much, and Zack would bet his friend thought he'd managed to hide it totally.

"Eventually. But you do realise Cloud would do anything for you." Zack just hoped throwing Sephiroth at someone so different to him would work and besides Cloud was the only other person Sephiroth had ever expressed an interest in. "And he does mean something to you, doesn't he?"

"Cloud? You know I still can't believe he's got into fights over _my_ reputation." Zack had tried to tell Cloud to knock the fights off, but Sephiroth sounded as if he liked it. "And he's even started winning a few of them."

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"Sephiroth?" He didn't reply, so Zack began looking for him. "Shit!" His friend was lying on his bed, legs spread, a blank look in his eyes, blood and semen staining the sheets between his legs. "What happened?" He pulled Sephiroth to a sitting position in his arms, shaking him a bit when he didn't say anything.

"I...I don't know what I did wrong. Cloud didn't say."

"Cloud hurt you and you think _you_ did something wrong?" Zack controlled his growing anger, he'd _trusted_ Cloud not to hurt Sephiroth, and now...

"I must have, he couldn't get away fast enough after. And he looked upset." Zack growled unconsciously, making Sephiroth jerk in his arms. "I didn't let him see he was hurting me, and he hurt himself the way he tried to do things at first. Zack, _why_ did it hurt? It never did with you."

"Because Cloud didn't prepare you, and you didn't prepare yourself. Remember what I used to do with my fingers before I took you?"

"Y-yes. I should have done that before..."

"Or _he_ should have, yes. I'll talk to him about that."

"Y-you think he'll still w-want me?" Sephiroth was worrying about that?

"I'll make sure he talks to you about what happened."

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"Cloud. What the fuck were you thinking?" Zack wasn't going to let anyone else hear what he had to say, but he started ranting once he had that _bastard_ alone. It took him almost half an hour to realise Cloud wasn't saying anything, he was too busy sobbing into his hands. He grabbed hold of Cloud's wrists and pulled his hands down. "Say something!"

"W-why didn't h-he _say_ I was hurting him? He t-told me to t-take him, why didn't he say it h-hurt?" Shit! Sephiroth had said almost the same thing, and Cloud had been a virgin before this. He'd thought...

"Tell me _precisely_ what happened Cloud."

"Sephiroth told me to do what I wanted, or tell him what to do. I tr-tried to sort of sit on his dick? He was lying down and... But it _hurt_ and he said I should take him instead. Then I h-hurt _him_ and he didn't say anything! I didn't _know_ I'd hurt him t-till I saw the _blood_! How could I stay after _that_?"

Cloud was really upset, as upset as Sephiroth had been. Zack cursed and pulled him into his arms. "It's all right. I'll teach you how to treat him right in bed. _If_ he still wants you." Although he was pretty sure that Sephiroth did still want Cloud a little worry would do him good.

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"What's wrong Zack?" Aeris ran a hand through his hair and pushed at his chest with her other hand until he rolled off to lie beside her. "I can tell something's distracting you." Zack felt his cheeks heat as he realised his worry about Sephiroth had gotten bad enough to stop him focusing on love play with Aeris.

"Babe, remember when you suggested I try and get Spike together with Sephiroth?" He'd been quiet about this for too long, he hadn't wanted to worry Aeris, and he was scared _she'd_ break up with him if he did too much talking about his friends with ShinRa, and especially about Sephiroth.

"Of course silly. You never said how it went." Aeris giggled and hit him lightly on his shoulder.

"Their first time was a disaster, but they got past that, and they were really cute together for a while. Except Sephiroth doesn't realise both people have to work on a relationship and Cloud's not confident enough to go after him without any real encouragement the way I did." Zack had ended up setting up dates for Cloud and Sephiroth, but he didn't like doing that, and it wasn't really a long term solution.

"I...bring them to the church the next time you can, give me a bit of warning, and we can talk to them together." Zack was a bit shocked that she'd offer to risk that, for him, shocked and _very_ grateful.

"I'll do that. But it won't be until after our next mission."

"Where are you going then?"

"Nibelheim."

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End file.
